Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Tim's was to go for an amazing leg sweep as he released the ball - he just ended up on his butt!

Michael's technique was to use all of those super manly muscles to throw the ball as hard as he could - maybe the pins would fall down in fear!

Justin took his cues from the serious bowler lady in the lane next to us - (she was so cool, she even had a wrist guard) - she would shine the ball and then lick her fingers every time! YUCK!

Somehow I didn't get a pic of the best technique- Maggie's - she walks up to the line very casually, as if she is SO bored with this game. Then she releases the ball and takes her position - her right hip out, left knee off to the side - and patiently waits for her strike, which she gets time after time!!

Michael and Maggie

the full nelson

Tim and his friend Wade - who by the way, threw the ball like a grown man! That kid has some arm!

Saturday - up early for Christmas Parade, Forney hometown Christmas celebration for the rest of the day, kids enjoying being out and about with friends. Even though it was cold and windy, we were there long enough that I got a little sunburned!

Big Slide- a Hometown Christmas tradition!

yep - it was VERY muddy in the "kids section"

Mag with friend Allie

Tim and friend Tyler

maggie and friend/apparent lover, Amber

Friends - sarah, jessica and maggie

BFF Haley danced on the main stage a few times

Maggie with friend Chris

P.S. - I love this photo!

Then home long enough to brush our teeth and to grab some much needed advil, before I had to drive Maggie to a stake Christmas party. After the party, I got to hang out with her and a couple of friends at starbucks (CARAMEL APPLE SPICE!!!) - bedtime - Midnight.

Scotty, Leighana, Maggie, Carlie, Justin

Sunday - new church time - way too early! - had a couple of friends over for lunch, then went to the baptism of some new friends. (Tommy confirmed both boys, and I cried a bit - I always do when I hear him give any sort of blessing! I am SO grateful that he is a worthy priesthood holder) Bedtime -11:00.

So - again nothing great happened, but the cold weather, and the late nights (I am old enough that 10:00 is too late for me!) have made me tired! Now it is 5:00 a.m. and I am looking forward to that nap!!! Crossing my fingers that I get it!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Here are just a few snaps of the Christmas spirit so far this year - Decorating tree and the annual Forney Hometown Christmas Celebration Parade

A few of my favorite ornaments!

I think I made this one in kindergarten

When we were first married and had no kids to fill our time, we spent one year painting ceramics to give as gifts at christmas - we would come home from work and spend hours painting together! Ahh, simpler times...

that is my favorite ornament that we painted!

given to me by Tisha Hall in elementary school

My VERY favorite - given to me by Peter Maroni in the first grade!

tim and friend tyler, waiting for parade to begin

maggie pretending to be happy - she was really MISERABLE because of the cold!

cold smoke breath!

it was 26 degrees

he doesn't look too thrilled to see Santa - too chili - good thing my kids don't live in the north!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

This is a check written out of my brother's checkbook - he ordered checks with large print. Boy, did he get checks with large print!

A lot of the size gets lost in this picture, but this is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while! Seriously - it looks like those big publishers clearing house checks that they surprise people with at their front doors!

He warned me before he sent it, of it's giant size - but I was unprepared - Maggie and I laughed so hard when we opened the mail and found this colossal check. Honestly, this has to be mailed in a large manila envelope!

The checks that I use are frightened of this check - they look like Lilliputians by comparison!

I have a bit of a confession to make... I am a 37 year old woman who LOVES teenage romance novels.

When I was young, I read a book titled P.S. I LOVE YOU, I can't remember the author. It was the best book I had ever read. I read it over and over until the paperback pages were curled and falling apart.

I dreamed about the scenes that played like a movie in my mind every night for months! I imagined myself tentatively making my way down the basement steps to that first boy/girl party - like she did in the book. I wanted that book to be about me!

I loved the simplicity of that book - girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, girls dreams of that untouchable boy from afar, boy (on the last page) confesses his love for girl.

I lost that beloved book in a move, and I have never been able to locate a copy again - though I have tried and tried over the years. (you'd be surprised at how many books are titled P.S. I love you)

Well, I have found a new P.S. I love you!! It is simple - only took about 4 hours to read - and wonderful!!

It is the kind of book that sucked me in right from the start.

It is the kind of book that made me sad when I hit the half way mark because I knew it would end soon.

It is the kind of book that made me clutch it to my chest after I finished reading the last line.

It is the kind of book that made me look up the author and send her an email of appreciation!! (REALLY - What kind of a nerd am I, to do that? ! GAG!)

Belly measures her life in summers.Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Thank you Jenny Han, I am sorry Cam Cameron, I love you both - Jeremiah and Conrad.